The Things I Remember
by Lindoreda
Summary: Collection of one shots, where part of the action takes place in the birth by sleep timeline. The first story features a meeting between Ienzo, Lea and Isa, and in the second, Roxas wakes up to a familiar face.
1. Brain Trauma

AN: My first fic in quite a while, huh? I actually wrote this one right after beating Birth By Sleep, so it's been sitting on my computer, staring at me. I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

><p>I knew that the Frisbee was going to hit me. At its current velocity, and with consistent wind conditions, it could scarcely miss. Why then did I not avoid it? Well, such calculations, while barely the work of an instant, take time that could be used to evade a deadly Frisbee. That, and I lacked the necessary reflexes at that age. Or at any age, now that I consider it. Thankfully, the likelihood of suffering brain trauma appeared quite low, so I was able to take the painful blow to the head without too many ungenerous feelings towards the flame-haired idiot responsible.<p>

"Sorry about that, little guy," the owner of the Frisbee apologized, without much visible or audible remorse. Clearly he was only apologizing at all because his slightly more rational friend had ordered him to. I did not debase myself by responding. I rarely did. Conversing with my intellectual inferiors at that age was trying. After all, after hearing me speak, few generally had much to say in response.

I was considering just silently walking away from the flame-haired idiot, who seemed to have come to the conclusion that I was deaf, and was gesticulating wildly in an attempt to convey his message, when I heard Even's shriek as he called for me. Never eager to be found by the condescending and ill-tempered scientist, I ducked behind the nearest form of concealment: the Frisbee twins. Neither had much time for surprise however, as Even came flying around the corner, his hair wild and his eyes darting about quickly. Spotting the pair of idiots, he approached.

"Have you seen a small boy in a white coat?" He demanded, not one to be civil when playing nursemaid to a precocious genius.

The idiot's friend returned Even's rudeness with far more politeness than the mad scientist deserved. "It looked like he was heading for the water purification facility, sir."

Even's rage about ungrateful brats tampering with the water supply was still audible long after he had left our part of town.

"So," the idiot began, the attention of both boys now fixed on me, "You ran away from the castle, huh?"

"I did not-" I began, but the idiot's friend interrupted me.

"You can talk, I see. Ienzo, was it?" His greenish eyes watched me impassively.

"I prefer not to speak when it can be avoided. Most people are surprised by the way I talk." I explained stiffly, staring down the track-suited freak (as he shall hereafter be known).

"I can see why," the flame-haired idiot snorted. "You don't sound like a kid at all."

"Regardless," I continued firmly, "I did not run away from the castle. I simply stepped out for some air."

"The crazy guy from the castle doesn't seem to think so," the idiot persisted.

"If I allowed him to set the terms of my existence, I should never step outside again," I answered shortly. "Excuse me. If I do not return before he does, I will be punished. Thank you for your assistance."

"Wait!" The idiot called out, obliging me to turn back. "How do you plan to pay us back for helping you out?" His tone was not joking enough for me to take him any less than seriously.

"I believe you hit me in the head with a Frisbee," I countered. "I would say that we are even. Or rather, than assisting me was the least you could do in exchange for your carelessness and poor aim."

The idiot suddenly found himself lacking in clever quips. The track-suited freak had apparently been saving his for just such an occasion. "I don't think we're even," he declared evenly. "We know your name, but you don't know ours."

This was apparently the idiot's cue, because he suddenly became more animated. "Oh yeah! I'm Lea, and he's Isa. Commit it to memory, got it?"

A strong urge to strangle Lea overtook me. A very dangerous urge for a small boy with no arm strength. He was just so annoying. "I apologize for the question, for it is based on several assumptions on your own temperment, but how can you tolerate this idiot?" I asked Isa, failing to keep my incredulity in check.

"It's complicated," Isa replied with a tiny smile, calmly enduring Lea's exclamations of shock at Isa's cruelty in not defending him. "We're all the other has."

Something stirred within me. It must have been the part of my heart that had not yet gotten over the death of my parents. "I suppose I could understand the sentiment if I had such a person myself."

Lea's professions of hurt ceased instantly. "I'm sure you have someone like that," he insisted.

"How can you be so certain?" I wondered.

"Because if you didn't, it'd be pretty sad, right? You probably just aren't looking hard enough," he insisted in an oddly cheerful tone.

"You have to be back before the man from the castle," Isa reminded me suddenly. "Hurry."

"See you again sometime, Ienzo!" Lea shouted at my back.

In truth, I did not see them again for many years, and they were both very changed by then. Not that I had not changed as well. Before meeting them, I had not noticed the watchful eyes of those who were always looking out for me. Though my actions ultimately destroyed one of those people, the other remained someone I could trust implicitly. But that is not the only reason why this one meeting with Lea and Isa is significant, unfortunately. It made me the only member of the Organization capable of observing the change that occurred in the pair of them on becoming Nobodies. This made me a danger to their plans. I could see through them in ways that the others could not. In short, I knew too much. I should have known that they would eliminate me. I suppose I thought that they were not capable of it.

Yes, I suppose I must have miscalculated that day, as the Frisbee flew towards my head. I undoubtedly suffered some form of brain trauma.


	2. Because We're Human

AN: And here's part two of my Birth By Sleep themed oneshots. More may come, but thats it for now. I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

><p>Roxas opened his eyes slowly, the scene before him gradually coming into focus. He'd never been to this world before, that was for sure. There was too much stonework for Agrabah, Wonderland, or Neverland; too much light for Halloween Town or Twilight Town, and too many buildings for Olympus Coliseum. It was obviously a town, judging by the number of busy people passing him. There were so many people, yet none of them gave a second glance to the strange teenager in all black, even though Roxas had clearly been asleep on the edge of a fountain. Saix would definitely chew him out later for sleeping during a mission.<p>

…What was his mission, anyway? Roxas couldn't remember anything. And he couldn't go back through the portal until the mission was finished.

So basically, he was stuck here until he remembered the mission, which he assumed would be never, given how reliable his memory seemed to be.

"Why do things never work out my way?" Roxas lamented quietly to himself, not really expecting a response. He was therefore thoroughly surprised when he got one.

"Well, I can't really answer that," a familiar voice to his left replied, their tone heavier than Roxas was used to hearing, "but I can tell you why you keep trying anyway, despite it all."

Roxas turned toward the voice, noticing for the first time that Axel had been sitting next to him on the fountain. There was something different about Axel, though. Something Roxas couldn't quite place. "Why?"

Axel grinned cheerfully, surprising Roxas. The smile was different from any that Roxas had seen on Axel's face before. It was… "It's because you're human, got it memorized?" Genuine.

"I'm… human?" I can't be human, Roxas thought. I'm a Nobody.

Axel sighed in good-humored exasperation. "Of course you are, Ven. What else would you be?"

Ven?

Roxas turned and examined his reflection in the pool created by the fountain. His face was the same, but what had happened to his coat? Then he looked at Axel properly. He was too young, Roxas realized. His hair wasn't yet the wild mane of fiery red, and he wasn't tall or thin enough. Why didn't I notice? Roxas wondered.

"You look different, Axel," Roxas murmured.

"Axel? Aw, geez. Did you forget my name again? It's Lea. L-E-A, and get it memorized this time."

Lea? Ven? This must be a dream, Roxas realized. I'll wake up, and I'll be on the actual mission. "Sorry," he apologized. "I guess it's like I said. Nothing ever goes my way."

"Aw, it's not a big deal," Lea relented, noticing the dark tone of Roxas's voice. "We're friends, after all."

"We are, aren't we?" Roxas agreed, smiling and feeling the dream begin to fade. "Thanks." He woke slowly, his eyes struggling in the dim light of his room in the Castle That Never Was.

"Oh, Sleeping Beauty awakens," Axel observed sarcastically from next to the bed.

"What… happened?" Roxas asked thickly, struggling to find the words.

"Oh, you didn't wake up this morning, and nothing anyone did seemed to work," Axel explained casually. "Xion was worried, but she had a mission right away, so I promised to stay with you. Saix wasn't too pleased, but my mission today was busy work anyway." Axel sounded rather pleased with himself for managing to get out of work, Roxas noted, hiding a slight smile.

"You were here the whole time?" Roxas rearranged the letters in his head. Lea-Ael + x = Axel.

"Huh? Yeah, since this morning, anyway, when we discovered that you hadn't woken up," Axel affirmed. "Why?"

"I think… I may have seen one of your memories," Roxas murmured, his voice almost inaudible. "From when you were human."

Axel's eyes immediately shuttered. "Roxas, that's impossible. It was just a dream."

"It's not impossible," Roxas replied fiercely, suddenly feeling defensive.

"Oh, why not?" Axel's smirk made it clear he thought he'd won this argument already.

"Because I'm… Because we're…" Roxas stopped himself. The last word wouldn't come.

"Because we're what?" Axel's triumphance had morphed into cautious curiosity.

Human.

"Nothing," Roxas muttered.

"That's right," Axel agreed. "We're Nothing. You don't have that memorized yet?"

"I guess not," Roxas lied.

"Well, get on it," Axel scolded.

"Sorry," Roxas murmured, staring down at the sheets so Axel wouldn't see the lie.

"Ah, I guess it's okay for now," Axel relented grudgingly. "We're friends, after all."

"We are, aren't we?" Roxas agreed, smiling slightly.

We're human, aren't we?

End


End file.
